Kidney Disease

We treat a wide range of kidney conditions that result from problems with the blood vessels, including:

Renal artery stenosis, narrowing of the arteries that feed the kidneys

Renal vein thrombosis, a blood clot blocking a kidney vein

Fibromuscular dysplasia, a congenital (present at birth) defect of the renal artery that limits blood flow to the kidney

Minimally Invasive Kidney Disease Treatment

The physicians at Sentara have a history of adopting innovative techniques and state-of-the-art technology to deliver the most advanced, proven treatments available. We provide the full range of open and minimally invasive approaches to treating kidney disease, and we are a leader in offering minimally invasive alternatives to open surgical procedures. Compared to open surgery, advantages of minimally invasive procedures include:

Smaller incisions to gain access to the kidneys

Less discomfort

Reduced risk of infection

Quicker healing time

Although we will recommend the right procedure even if it means open surgery, we prefer to use a minimally invasive approach so we can get you back to your life as quickly as possible.

Kidney Disease Treatment: Services We Provide

Treatments we offer for kidney conditions include:

Angioplasty and renal stenting

Renal bypass

Renal endarterectomy

Kidney Failure Services

For patients whose kidneys are severely diseased, we offer dialysis access services as well as kidney transplant services.

Dialysis access: How it works

When your kidneys are unable to filter your blood effectively, hemodialysis (dialysis) may be necessary. In dialysis, a machine called a dialyzer performs the function of your kidneys by filtering your blood. In dialysis access, a doctor creates an easy-to-access entry site into your bloodstream.

We place the access device under the skin in your arm, leg or chest to enable quick, safe and easy flow of blood to and from your body during dialysis. During dialysis:

Blood moves through a tube from your body to the dialyzer.

The dialyzer removes waste and excess minerals, such as salt and potassium, from your blood and helps to control your blood pressure.

The dialyzer filters your blood and then it returns to your body through another tube.

Dialysis access services at Sentara

At Sentara, we offer the full range of dialysis access and dialysis access management, including:

Fistulas

Grafts

Catheters

In addition, we are one of the few centers in the region offering the HeRO Vascular Access Device. We may use the HeRO device as long-term vascular access for patients who have no other options for dialysis access.

Kidney transplant

For patients with kidney failure, conventional treatments like dialysis may not be enough. Vascular specialists at Sentara offer new hope to kidney failure patients through kidney transplants.

In a kidney transplant, we remove your failing kidney(s) and replace them with a healthy kidney from a donor. Sentara has the only transplant program available to kidney failure patients in the Hampton Roads area and eastern North Carolina. We have helped many patients resume normal activities after the procedure. We use advanced technology and a laparoscopic approach.

Comprehensive care for kidney transplant patients

A kidney transplant is a complex procedure that neither begins nor ends in the operating room. We take a team approach to your care, beginning with your first meeting and evaluation, continuing with education about what to expect while you wait for a donor kidney to become available, guiding you through the transplant and supporting you in recovery.

We believe strongly in increasing dialysis access knowledge through research and clinical trials involving new access products to help improve the quality of life on dialysis. To learn more about participating in a clinical trial, contact us at 757-470-5570.